How to Create a Dental App That Will Make Patients Smile
Dentists are one of the most sought-after medical professionals. They have appointments with patients several months in advance and need effective tools to manage their medical practice.
Custom web or mobile apps for dentists are such tools. They take into account all the aspects of dental practice and make the work of medical professionals more organized and innovation-oriented.
If you own a dental clinic or are a software development provider who wants to enter the market with a relevant product, our guide will help you. Here, we will walk you through the process of creating your own dental app.
Dental software vs. medical practice management software
The healthcare IT market is booming with various software solutions for general medical practice and narrow-focused specialists. And when dentists surf the web looking for the right software, they can be overwhelmed by the sheer number of apps, each claiming to be the best they need.
Not to get lost in the variety of medical apps on the market, it is vital to understand that there are two main types of healthcare solutions.
The first aims to digitize administrative tasks within a medical organization and is called medical practice management software.
The second enhances patient care through digitization and advanced IT tools. These are more comprehensive systems that include EHR, e-prescription software, telemedicine apps, AI-powered medical platforms, and more.
So, if you want to develop a professional app for dentists, you can actually create dental practice management software, dental EHR, or an all-in-one dental practice solution.
Either way, you will get software which is 100% tied to your business needs as you will implement the exact features you need rather than use the functionality of a general-purpose software system.
Key features of your dental app
Let's imagine that you create an all-in-one solution for a dental practice. Such a solution will help administrative staff organize a seamless flow for patient admission and document management, enable doctors to provide more efficient patient care, and provide customers with great care and support
Here are the features you'll want to include in your dentist app:
Dental app features for administrative staff
Reporting and dashboards
With the right reporting and dashboards in place, you'll be able to see things like:
the number of new patients you're getting each month
the number of appointments you're booking
the average length of appointment
how much revenue your practice is generating each month
All this information is invaluable when it comes to monitoring the progress of your practice and making sure that you're on the right track.
Document management systems (DMS)
Having all documents in one place is convenient, effective, and secure. Having all documents in digital format and being able to access them through the app allows clinics to reduce paperwork and the chance of human error.
Additionally, DMS in an app for the dentist's office allows immediate access to the necessary records, so the staff is not limited to business hours and office location. This may be very helpful in urgent situations when you need to see treatment plans or fill in insurance forms.
Advanced DMS systems can also be integrated with third-party services such as analytics and reporting. This will allow you to automatically generate reports and receive valuable insights on the go.
Payment processing
The payment processing feature will allow you to accept online payments from patients directly in your dental app. To implement this, you should integrate the payment gateway and make sure it supports refunds. Thus, if the patient cancels the appointment, they can get money back directly to their bank account.
Some of the most popular payment gateways are PayPal, Stripe, Square Capital, and WePay. However, you should consult with your software service provider before deciding on a specific gateway for your application.
Dental app features for dental practitioners and their assistants
Dental charting
Dental charting is an essential part of dental practice management software. It allows dentists to track the progress of their patients’ dental health, identify any problems early on, and plan the most effective treatment.
As a part of this feature, you can implement such tabs as tooth examination, pre-existing problems, diagnosis, treatment, soap notes, and more.
Treatment templates
In dental practice, similar or typical cases of disease are often encountered. To save doctors time, a library of templates for common dental procedures can be added to your software. This will allow doctors to quickly and easily create treatment plans for each patient, streamlining the process and ensuring that no essential steps are missed.
Of course, each template must be customizable. This will allow dentists to take into account the individual characteristics of the patient and compose individual treatment plans in less time.
Dental imaging
Dental imaging is a critical part of dental care. It allows dentists to see inside teeth and gums to diagnose and treat problems. The dental imaging feature in your dental practice app should provide doctors with access to X-rays and other digital images. For that, it should connect with cameras and imaging technology to capture images and then store them in a special image repository. You should also implement a technology that will import images without quality loss and display high-resolution photos without glitches and delays.
Dental app features for patients
Patient portal
The patient portal gives patients direct and secure access to their dental records from anywhere at any time. This means they can review their treatment history, medication allergies, and more — all without having to call or visit the office. And since the information is up-to-date and accurate, it helps reduce the chances of any mistakes being made.
Online scheduling
This will allow patients to easily book appointments without having to pick up the phone or leave a message. It also gives them the flexibility to choose a time that works best for them.
This is a feature that is growing in popularity, as more and more people are looking for ways to take advantage of online tools. A recent study found that 67% of people would rather use an online tool than call a business. So make sure your software has this essential feature to help you stand out from the competition.
Automated appointment reminders
Studies have shown that automated appointment reminders can greatly increase patient attendance, and 88% of medical organizations use them in their practice.
That’s because modern people live a busy pace of life with work and family duties overwhelming them on a daily basis. Receiving timely reminders increases the chances of remembering an appointment with a doctor. Plus, it frees up your staff’s time so they can focus on more important tasks.
Insurance integration
If you're in the dental industry, then you know that insurance is a big part of the business. And if you're not careful, dealing with insurance can be a huge headache.
That's why it's essential that your dental practice software has insurance integration. This means that the software will be able to interface with customers' insurance companies' systems so that they can quickly and easily submit claims and get reimbursed.
HIPAA compliance checklist for dental software providers
Whether you want to develop software for your dental clinic or become a dental software provider and sell your app to dental practitioners, it's crucial to be HIPAA compliant. Here's a quick checklist to help you make sure your company is up to par:
1. Review all current HIPAA policies and procedures and update them as needed.
2. Develop and implement a security plan that addresses the administrative, technical, and physical safeguards needed to protect ePHI (electronic protected health information).
3. Train all employees on HIPAA compliance.
4. Implement a system for documenting who has accessed patient information and when.
5. Use encryption technologies for transmitting and storing PHI.
6. Store patient data in a secure location.
7. Destroy PHI when it is no longer needed.
8. Use secure login credentials and passwords.
9. Regularly test your security systems to ensure they are still effective.
10. Report any security breaches to law enforcement bodies immediately.
Dental app development: team, technologies, budget
An expert team, the right technologies, and a well-calculated budget are the three pillars of a successful web or mobile app for dentists.
Team. You need a team with the right skill set to create your dental practice management software. This includes developers, designers, QA engineers, business analysts, and project managers with at least 5 years of expertise in healthcare development. If you decide to outsource your dental app development to a third-party company, make sure to check their previous healthcare projects, choose an appropriate collaboration model, and agree on deadlines. If their work philosophy and price rates are appropriate for you, sign a software development contract and watch your idea turn into top-notch software.
Technologies. There are a number of different technologies that can be used for dental app development. Which ones you choose will largely depend on your budget and requirements. One popular option for healthcare products is the SaaS model. It allows users to log into the system at any time through a browser. Thus, they are not dependent on office hours or business devices. As for mobile apps, the most popular option is native iOS or Android development. By using Swift, Kotlin, Java, Flutter, or Ionic you can create apps with glitchless operation, natural design, and an excellent user experience.
Budget. Dental app development can be expensive, but it's an investment that can pay off in the long run. Additionally, you can start with developing a minimum viable product (MVP), which will contain only basic features, for your dental practice app. The MVP will require minimal investments from your side. When you test it on real users and ensure it is in demand, you can expand it with more advanced functionality.
Looking to develop a dental practice management app?
Dental practice software development is a complex process that can be too challenging for novice developers. If you want to get an app that is tailored to your business needs and complies with medical software regulations, it is better to choose a team with proven experience in healthcare project development.
At Erbis, we have a successful track record of developing healthcare software solutions. Some of our latest projects are a medical microbiology research system for a non-profit organization and an EHR system for a pharmaceutical company.
If you want to learn more about our healthcare software development expertise, get in touch. We will be happy to discuss your project idea and turn that idea to life.
